Wave of Missing, Dead Scientists Could Be ‘Foreign Operation': Congressman
The string of missing or deceased scientists that has drawn widespread attention and online speculation could be connected to a "foreign operation," Representative Eric Burlison said Sunday.
"We are in competition with China, Russia, and Iran on nuclear technology, advanced weapons, and space. Meanwhile, our top scientists keep vanishing," the Missouri Republican posted on X.
"This has all the hallmarks of a foreign operation. I am working with Democrats and Republicans to get the FBI fully engaged. This is not partisan."
Why It Matters
Burlison previously called for closer examination of the cases, which range from the disappearance of a retired Air Force general to the killing of a leading astrophysicist.
No official connections have been confirmed among the recent cases raised by online reports, although the White House signaled last week that it would ask agencies for additional information.
On Thursday, the growing list of deaths or disappearances of U.S. experts in advanced space, defense and nuclear fields in recent years was called "pretty serious stuff" by President Donald Trump, who added that he hoped the series was “coincidence.”
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What To Know
Burlison told Fox News that foreign intelligence operatives targeting U.S. scientists would be "the most likely explanation" for the apparent pattern.
Burlison previously said that retired U.S. Air Force Major General William “Neil” McCasland, who has been missing since February 27, has "a lot of information" about unidentified flying objects (UFOs)-a connection that has led to speculation about the nature of his disappearance.
Meanwhile, a former FBI agent has dismissed notions of a larger conspiracy. On X on Sunday, Jennifer Coffindaffer wrote: "This isn’t some large scale conspiracy to take off people who work/worked in science-based industry.
"If you look at each case individually, they have Occam’s Razor reasons supporting why they went missing or who killed them.
"So glad the FBI is going to put this notion of some entity trying to kill procurement guys and 10 year plus decade retired folk to rest."
Speaking to NewsNation, Coffindaffer said she had reviewed the cases and each had "pragmatic" explanations.
"One individual was killed by the Brown shooter, another individual was killed by a neighbor that had a long string of violent crime in his history,” she said. "You have two individuals that walked off with a gun, without things they needed, with serious issues going on with their lives. I think possibly that was very purposeful, they didn't want to come back."
In some cases, people close to those who have died or gone missing have also pushed back against conspiracy claims.
Below is the list of workers with ties to advanced research whose disappearance or deaths have been attracted public interest.
Amy Eskridge-Scientist reportedly researching anti-gravity technology.
Died: 2022.
Michael David Hicks-Research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; worked on the DART Project and Deep Space 1 mission.
Died: July 2023.
Frank Maiwald-Principal researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Died: July 2024.
Anthony Chavez-Former employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Missing since: May 2025.
Monica Reza-Director of Materials Processing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Missing since: June 2025.
Melissa Casias-Administrative worker at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Missing since: June 2025.
Steven Garcia-Government contractor at a New Mexico facility for the Kansas City National Security Campus.
Missing since: August 2025.
Nuno Loureiro-Director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center.
Died: December 2025.
Carl Grillmair-Caltech astrophysicist who worked on NASA's NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor missions.
Died: February 2026.
William “Neil” McCasland-Retired U.S. Air Force major general.
Missing since: February 27, 2026.
Jason Thomas-Pharmaceutical researcher.
Found dead: March 2026.
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What Happens Next
FBI Director Kash Patel has confirmed that his agency is investigating.
"We started this process last week, and then we’re going to look for connections, on whether there are connections to classified access, access to classified information and or foreign actors, and then we will produce that information to the White House and the world," Patel said.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, also said that letters have been sent to NASA, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense seeking information about the cases.
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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 8:27 AM.